The Supreme Court has sharply criticised the Maharashtra government for routinely opposing bail applications while failing to ensure the timely completion of criminal trials.
The court observed that the state consistently resists granting bail but does not take adequate steps to expedite hearings, warning that it would “expose” the government publicly if the situation continued.
According to a PTI report, a Bench comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Sheel Nagu made the remarks while hearing the bail plea of a foreign national arrested in a kidnapping and murder case.
The accused told the court that he has been in custody for the past four years. During that period, his case was listed before the trial court 86 times, but he was produced before the court on only 33 occasions, having not been produced for 53 of the scheduled hearings.
Only two witnesses testified in four years
The Supreme Court said that not presenting the accused in the trial court is a serious lapse by the Maharashtra government. The court said that in four years, only two out of 34 witnesses have been able to testify. This situation is disturbing.
Maharashtra said – accused are now being presented on every date
The lawyer appearing on behalf of the Maharashtra government informed the court that the state is now presenting all the accused in the trial court on every hearing date.
On this, the Supreme Court said that states should formulate clear policies to expedite the hearing of cases. The court directed the trial court to record the testimony of at least four witnesses every week and to keep this order on record.
The bench also said that if such cases come before the court in the future, similar strict orders will be passed.
